Chapter 734 - 730: Not an Uncommon Situation

The force of the slap snapped the girl’s head to the side, her fair cheek instantly flushing red.

But before anyone could process what had happened, the girl’s mother’s expression suddenly tightened. She clutched her chest, her face contorting in pain.

Emeric Grant noticed something was wrong immediately and rushed forward to check on her. By then, the woman had already collapsed to the floor in discomfort.

"Mom! Mom!"

The girl was terrified, completely forgetting the slap she’d just received. She threw herself toward her mother, crying, "Mom, what’s wrong? Don’t scare me!"

The two police officers were already leading the man away. The girl anxiously watched their retreating figures, but her worry for her mother won out, and she stayed by her side.

Emeric Grant was exceptionally calm. This was his normal state at work. It seemed that no matter what emergency he faced on the job, he remained expressionless, his composure almost frightening.

Drawing on his medical knowledge and experience, he noted the woman’s symptoms—chest pain, tightness, and shortness of breath—which had appeared suddenly after a fit of rage and sorrow. He immediately instructed the nurses who had rushed over from the nurses’ station, "Suspected myocardial infarction. Get her to emergency on a gurney, now."

Then he turned to another nurse. "Quick, notify Dr. Bowman from the Cardiology Department! Tell him to get to the resuscitation room!"

Hearing the word "resuscitation" drained the color from the crying girl’s face. She looked at Emeric Grant in terror. "Doctor, what’s wrong with my mom? Is she... is she..."

If it had been a typical young girl, Emeric Grant would have offered some gentle words of comfort to avoid frightening her.

But the girl in front of him seemed to be a teenager, and her words and actions were extremely volatile. She showed no awareness that her behavior was out of line, let alone any remorse.

Fortunately, it was clear she still had deep feelings for her mother.

So Emeric Grant chose to leverage those feelings, telling the girl bluntly, "Your mother has had an acute myocardial infarction and needs emergency resuscitation. This condition can be fatal. You can’t provoke her or upset her anymore!"

He wasn’t exaggerating. The condition was that serious, and saving her was a race against time.

The girl was terrified. After all, she was only fifteen and not yet mature. Tears streamed down her face as she nodded.

Seeing her mother being lifted onto the gurney, she rushed forward, crying, "Mom, you have to be okay! I’ll listen to you, I’ll listen to everything you say..."

Emeric Grant watched from a distance, letting out a soft sigh. He still had a few more appointments that morning, so he didn’t dwell on it. After a glance at Cecilia Sterling, he went back into his department.

Cecilia Sterling saw the helplessness in his eyes regarding the incident, and her own expression mirrored his.

At noon, Emeric Grant finished his morning appointments and took Cecilia Sterling to the hospital cafeteria.

The cafeteria at the Second Military Hospital was spacious, bright, and very clean. The food stations were self-serve, buffet-style. You could take a tray and choose from dozens of dishes lined up from one end to the other.

Emeric Grant held a tray in one hand and Cecilia Sterling’s hand in the other. His usual cold, professional demeanor was gone, replaced by a gentle smile as he asked softly, "Babe, what do you want to eat?"

This wasn’t Cecilia Sterling’s first time eating with Emeric Grant in the hospital cafeteria. She had a vivid memory of the Three Cup Chicken there. It was delicious—not too sweet, with perfectly balanced seasoning.

"I want the Three Cup Chicken, Sautéed Pork with Wood Ear Mushrooms, and Loofah Soup."

The loofah soup was mainly to help "cool her down."

The two of them selected their food, hand in hand. Many of the medical staff who saw them from a distance couldn’t help but stare.

The handsome man and beautiful woman were already a well-matched, eye-catching pair. But the main reason was Emeric Grant’s immense popularity at the Second Military Hospital. Especially among the young nurses, he was widely acknowledged as the most handsome doctor.

"Look at Dr. Grant. It’s not just his lips that are smiling, his eyes are smiling too."

"I heard from a nurse in the obstetrics inpatient ward that Dr. Grant is usually expressionless at work, really cold and distant with both the nurses and the patients. I never thought he’d be like this with his girlfriend."

"Well, his girlfriend is gorgeous. What guy wouldn’t be grinning from ear to ear with a girlfriend like that?"

"True. It’s hard not to be happy when you’re looking at a face like that, right?"

"See? Guys are all about looks."

"I’m a girl and I like it too. Who doesn’t like looking at a beautiful woman!"

Emeric Grant led Cecilia Sterling to a less crowded corner. The moment they sat down, he couldn’t help but look at her with apologetic tenderness. "You’ve been waiting long, haven’t you? I’ve been so busy lately, I haven’t had any time to spend with you."

"It’s fine. I actually brought my mom for a check-up today."

"Your mom had a check-up? Where are the reports? Let me see!"

Cecilia Sterling raised an eyebrow and nodded. She had already taken screenshots of the reports and sent the images directly to Emeric Grant.

Emeric Grant opened the images and glanced at Cecilia Sterling, telling her to eat first while he examined them carefully.

He was really captivating when he was serious. The slight prominence of his brow bone made his starry eyes seem even deeper. Cecilia Sterling watched him as she ate, and as she watched, an image of a naked Emeric Grant popped into her head.

Ahem... She looked away, embarrassed, and quickly ate a couple of pieces of loofah to cool herself down.

"The results are fine. Is your mom feeling unwell anywhere?"

"No, it’s just a routine check-up. Better to catch any problems early, you know?"

"If she feels unwell at any point, just call me directly. A lot of emergencies require timely and correct handling."

Cecilia Sterling knew this was Emeric Grant’s kind way of reminding her. After all, emergencies happen out of the blue, and no one knows when one might occur.

"Like what happened today?" Cecilia Sterling asked.

Emeric Grant paused for a moment, then shook his head and sighed silently. "What happened today wasn’t exactly an accident. The obstetrics and gynecology departments see cases like this every year. It’s not uncommon."

He looked at Cecilia Sterling and smiled. "Smart girl. You understood that I wanted you to call the police."

Cecilia Sterling thought of the young girl from before, with her innocent face and frail body, having to go through all this at such a young age. It would likely leave a scar on her for the rest of her life.

No matter what she thought now, she would definitely regret it later in life.

Emeric Grant could see she was still thinking about the girl and spoke softly. "Abortion procedures are very advanced now; the physical harm to her will be minimized. Afterwards, I’ll contact the psychology department to arrange for counseling. She’s still young. With proper, professional psychological guidance, she can get back on the right track."

Cecilia Sterling, holding her bowl, gave a slight, wry smile at his words and nodded gently.

After lunch, the two of them spent a little more time being affectionate in Emeric Grant’s office. Cecilia Sterling only left the hospital when the afternoon consultations began.

As she walked out of the hospital building, snow began to drift down gracefully from the sky. The snow had been especially frequent in Lorcain this winter, covering everything in a thick layer. She liked the snow; she found it romantic.

That’s right. She didn’t believe in love, but she still adored romance.